Syracuse basketball: Three things to look for against Southern Connecticut State

Syracuse will finish its 2017-18 basketball preseason campaign on Monday evening against Southern Connecticut State. Ahead of the game, here are three things to look out for.

WILL GENO THROPE PLAY?

Graduate transfer guard Geno Thorpe injured his ankle in mid-October prior to the Orange scrimmage and was held out of SU’s 84-54 win over Southern New Hampshire in the exhibition opener.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said that even after two weeks, Thorpe wasn’t able to put any weight on it or run.

Thrope offered a different assessment to Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters. “I’ll probably be participating in the next exhibition game,” he said.

If Thorpe was correct, he’ll be logging minutes for the first time tonight.

Thorpe is a key component for the Orange this season. He serves as an insurance policy at point guard if Frank Howard continues his struggles, and also will be one of the Orange’s sharpshooters from beyond the arc.

Oshae Brissett played like a veteran against Southern New Hampshire, stuffing the stat sheet in 27 minutes of action.

Brissett scored 17 points, several of them on impressive attacks on the basket. But he also showed a deft shooting touch, hitting a pair from distance, while also hauling down 11 rebounds.

With Taurean Thompson and Tyler Lydon no longer in Orange uniforms, Brissett will be one of the Orange’s top playmakers this season and Monday evening will be another opportunity for Brissett to showcase his skills.

WHO WILL START?

In SU’s first preseason game, Boeheim went with a starting lineup of Matt Moyer, Brissett, Paschal Chukwu, Frank Howard and Tyus Battle.

If Thorpe is healthy enough to play, who would he bump from the lineup? Moyer seems like the most obvious candidate.

Could Boeheim also go with Marek Dolezaj as a starter? Moyer played 28 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Dolezaj played 20 minutes and finished with four points and five steals.

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Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also worked for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005. Follow him on Twitter @ChengWes.